Dementia care expands in Kinross

A NEW residential dementia care facility was approved for Kinross on Thursday.

The $23 million proposal for 71 Kinross Drive, next to Kinross Shopping Centre, aims to incorporate Amana Living’s Kinross Care Centre for dementia care, which is already on the northern part of the site.

The new development, proposed for the vacant part of the site, will be a three-storey building with reception, offices, day club, small workshop, kitchen, internal courtyards, dining and alfresco areas on the ground floor, and 96 beds, physiotherapy and pain clinic, nurse and medical services, and living and dining areas across the next two levels.

There will also be open spaces with connecting landscaped areas between the proposed and existing developments, including shaded seating and barbecue areas, exercise equipment and a children’s play area.

During public consultation, Amana Living sent out its own letters and held information sessions, where no issues were raised but discussions included fencing, access and parking.

The City of Joondalup also advertised the application and received five submissions, of which four were objections.

Concerns raised included overshadowing, loss of privacy, height, traffic, and basement parking being next to residences.

At Thursday’s Metro North-West Joint Development Assessment Panel meeting, local resident Matthew Fitzgerald raised concerns with the proposed shortfall of 16 carpark bays and the development exceeding the height by more than 3m.

Artist impressions of the proposed dementia care facility in Kinross.

Joondalup planning services manager Chris Leigh said while it was City policy to allocate one bay per five beds and one bay per staff member, they also took into account “peaks and troughs of visitors”.

He said peak staff times would be in the mornings with a maximum of 51 on site, while peak visitor times were afternoons, evenings and weekends.

Representing the applicant, Planning Solutions director Ben Doyle said the parking had been based on Amana Living’s experience with its other 22 facilities and it was “confident there is adequate parking”.

In regards to height, Mr Leigh said while the maximum allowed was 10m, there were some areas at 11.7m but they were next to the shopping centre and a school so there would be no impact on residents, and while the roof plant was 13.3m, it was centrally located and unlikely to be seen by pedestrians.

Mr Doyle added that because the centre required hoists and ceiling equipment, the extra height was needed in some areas.

T&Z Architects director Mark Karol said the design used materials common to the area and had been broken up to “deinstitutionalise” the building.

Mr Doyle said this it was a “desperately needed facility in the area” with suitable sites for aged care “very rare” in the City of Joondalup.

The application was unanimously approved with an additional condition to require a parking management plan., which Cr Philippa Taylor made the requested to ensure the safety of staff finishing work late at night.